What does the name Norge actually mean?
A beloved child goes by many names — so goes a Norwegian expression. Let us explore the meaning of the country Norway’s name.
The northern route
The most common interpretations of the name Norge are:
the land to the north,
the northern route, or
the route leading north.
Looking at Norway on a map, with its long, northward coastline, these meanings make a lot of sense. However, according to linguists, there may also be a second and a third interpretation.
Narrow inlet
In 1847, the student Niels Halvorsen Trønnes claimed that the name Norge is based on the Old Norse word nór, which in this context means a narrow inlet or channel.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, an inlet is a narrow strip of water that extends from a sea or lake into the land, or runs between islands.
When we think about Norway, with all its fjords, such an interpretation certainly makes sense. In recent years, this second meaning has gained support.
King Nor
Einar Haugen’s Norwegian-English dictionary translates the Norwegian dialect word nor as a mite — meaning an infant or small child.
Michael Schulte, a linguist at the University of Agder, Norway, suggests a possible connection between this meaning of the word nor, the name Norge, and the mythological King Nor.
King Nor was a short man — a nor, childlike in size. According to the Orkneyinga saga (History of the Earls of Orkney), King Nor was the founder of the first Norwegian kingdom. Perhaps a reference to his land gave rise to the name Norge?
We may never know the exact connection, but these snippets of information and theories still spark our imagination.
Store norske leksikon — snl.no.
Name variations
Norwegian Bokmål: Norge
Norwegian Nynorsk: Noreg
Northern Sami: Norga
Lule Sami: Vuodna (fjord)
South Sami: Nöörje